Reflections About My Almost 5 Year Old

I can’t believe my baby boy is almost 5!  With just a few weeks until his birthday, Mommy is in full planning mode for the big celebration.  Of course, he wants to invite all his new friends from his new school as well as a few special friends from his past.  As tradition, I have been wanting to write down some of our almost five year old's accomplishments from this past year so that I can remember the important details.  In many ways, he seems to have skipped over most of the early childhood years and went straight to the pre-teen years.  He is still a very loving and sweet boy, but he is so independent now.  Maybe this is the side-effect of becoming a big brother and “caretaker” to another little person.  He is such an awesome, caring big brother!

STATISTICS

HEIGHT:  42 inches

WEIGHT:  about 32 lbs. 

FAVORITE COLOR:  His favorite color has been green for the last year until the last week when he announced orange is his favorite color (again) because his new team color for T-ball is orange and his new favorite snack is oranges.  

FAVORITE TOYS:  Wii (Star Wars, Mario Cart, and baseball), Lego’s, Leapster, and Transformers and Star Wars action figures

FAVORITE CARTOONS:  Transformers, Team Umi Zoomi, and Bubble Guppies

FAVORITE FOODS:  steak, chicken nuggets, shrimp, carrots, oranges, and PB&J sandwiches

FAVORITE BEVERAGES:  milk, chocolate milk, sweet tea, orange juice, and ice cold water

Here are some of the accomplishments you have made this year, my sweet Evan:

Awesome Big Brother

Brody is so lucky to have you!  You have been such a loving big brother just like Mommy knew you would.  This last year brought such a big change in your life, but you accepted your new role like a champ.  You kiss and hug and play with your little brother like he is the most important person in your world.  I am so glad you love him so much, and I want you both to always love each other this much.  I love watching you play with your little brother.  Sometimes, you will hear baby brother waking up in the morning and will get up before we do and go into your little brother’s room and talk to him in his crib.  We can hear you over the monitor, and little brother sounds so happy to see you.  Then all of a sudden we’ll hear little brother start crying and then you are in our room.  You say, "He wasn't crying when I was in there."  Baby brother started crying because he couldn’t see his big brother anymore, and it made him so sad!  I think that is just the best example to show how much your little brother loves you.  Your favorite times to play with little brother are during and after bath time.  You love playing in the tub with little brother and teaching him to splash.  Little brother probably loves the water so much because of you.  On just a couple of occasions, little brother has started to slide down into the water, and you help Mommy or Daddy catch him.  Little brother is never scared, and I know that is because he feels safe with you.  I just love watching your relationship with your little brother grow!

Team Player

You have been playing team sports all year.  You played t-ball in the Spring and soccer in the Fall and loved it!  You are about to start another season of t-ball and are very excited to see all your old teammates again.  We love that you are building so many new friendships at school and in sports.

Pre-Kindergartner

This year you have really made leaps and bounds in your educational accomplishments.  Your new school and teachers are so wonderful with you and just think you are such a smart little man.  When we had parent teacher conferences recently, your teacher informed us you were ready for kindergarten and had accomplished all of the goals necessary for success.  You are signed up for kindergarten although we are still waiting to determine exactly what school you are going to attend. 

Mommy's Heart

There is no doubt about it.  You steal Mommy's heart everyday!

Daddy's Buddy

Man, you boys have the most fun together!  I'm a little jealous sometimes!

A Heart for Jesus

You still love attending church and also love reminding us to read your Bible stories at night.  You say some of the most profound things sometimes which show us that you are pondering the mysteries of your Creator and His love for you.  You ask me all the time what heaven is like and how you were sent to us from God.  You witnessed a baptism one Sunday at our church and were very curious about the whole experience and what it meant.  I think it is just a matter of time before your little heart is ready to fully comprehend and profess your faith and belief in Jesus. 

I love you with all my heart, Evan, and I always will!  There are no words to express what you mean to me so I hope that my actions as your mother speak louder than my words! 

Love,

Your Devoted Mother